Permutation-lock.



PATENTED JULY 10, 1 906.

0. KATZBNBERGER. PERMUTATION LOOK.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.24.1905.

2 SHEETSSHEE T 1.

Arm/mars W/TNESSES.

7": mum's PETERS ca, vvnsmuurou, nc.

No. 825,735. PATENTED JULY 10, 1906. 0. KATZENBBRGER.

PERMUTATIONILOGK.

APPLIOATION FILED AUG.24, 1905.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

N V E N 70/? UJcarJvaiz en beryer 7n: NORRIS PETERS co., wnsnmcmu, n. c

"fvrrnn STATES OFFICE.

PERIVIUTATION-LOOK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 10, 1906.

A li ti fil d August 24,1905. Serial No. 275,555.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, OSCAR KATZENBER GER, a citizenof the United States, and a resident of San Antonio, in the county of Bexar and State of Texas, have invented certain Improvements in Permutation-Locks, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention has for its object to provide novel details of construction for a permutation-lock, and more particularly to improve and simplify the construction of the lock patented by me November 24, 1903, No. 745,064. said improvements being also applicable to various locks of the class indicated, in which the features of novelty may be advantageously embodied, thus providing a very simple lock that is convenient to operate, may be unlocked in the dark by the sense of touch or by sound of impinging parts, or by both means.

The features of the present improvement are particularly well adapted for use as working parts of a padlock and to illustrate their application and operation are represented as applied to form a lock of that character.

In the drawings, which represent the con struction and adjustments of parts for lock- 5 ing and unlocking the same, similar characers of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the padlock in opened condition.

mechanism in locked adjustment, the side wall of the lock-case eing removed. Fig. 3 i

is a view similar to that shown in Fig. 2, but representing the working parts adjusted for release of the shackle-bow. Fig. 4 is a side view of the lock-case, partly in section, on the line 4 4 in Fig. 7, one side wall being removed, together with certain working parts, exposing other details that remain in the case, seen in the direction of the arrows at in said figure. Fig. 5 is a partly-sectional side view of details on the line 5 5 in Fig. 7, parts being seen in the direction of the arrows 1: in said figure. Fig. 6 is a vertical transverse sectional view of the lock substantially on the line 6 6 in Fig. 2, and Fig. 7 is a horizontal transverse sectional view substantially on the line 7 7 in Fig. 2.

The lock-case is of the usual form given to padlocks of the class to which this improve- Fig. 2 is an enlarged partly-sectional side view of the lock on the line 2 2 in Fig. 6, exposing the interior s I ment belongs and consists of a back wall 10, l a front wall 11, and a curved peripheral wall l 12, the latter being preferably formed intel gral with the front wall and the back wall rendered removable for the convenient introduction of the works of the lock into the case in proper relative positions. There is a straight portion 12 formed on the front wall 11 as a section of the periphery, leaving two openings between its ends and those of the curved wall 12, said openings a a, respectively, accommodating the ends of a bowed shacklebar 13. A plurality of studs 1) are preferably formed in the lock-case at suitable points, ends of these studs that project from the case serving as rivets for securing the removable back plate or Wall 10 upon the rear edge of the peripheral walls 12 12 when the case is to be closed.

As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, a pivot-stud c is secured in the case near the opening a for j pivoting one end of the shackle-bow 13 with- 1 in the case, free to rock asuitable degree, the opposite end or latch-nose 13 rocking into the other opening a when the shackle-bow is to be locked fast at both ends within the case. N ear the center of the front wall 1 1 and within the lock-case a pivot-post 14 is erected on said wall of a height to nearly touch the back plate 10 when the latter is secured in place on the lock-case. A preferably four-armed detent-block 15 is employed that is perforated j laterally at or near the radial center of its arms, and in said perforation the pivot-post 14 is inserted, thus supporting the detentblock flatwise within the case free to turn on said post. The radial arms 15 15*, 15, and 15 on the detent block 15 are projected nearly opposite each other in pairs. The pair of opposite arms 15 15 are somewhat longer than the other pair of arms 15 15 as appears in Figs. 2 and 3, and the arm 15 may engage with its outer end an adjacent stud b, which will limit the rocking movement of said arm in a direction away from 1 the latch-nose of the shackle-bow when it is inserted in the opening a. Upon suitable projections d from the inner surface of the front wall 11 a latch-bolt 16 is supported to slide in loose contact with the peripheral wall 12, and, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the end 6 of the latch-bolt nearest to the opening a is rendered convex and its upper corner 5 removed to facilitate the latching engagement of said end of the bolt 16 with the latchjnosc 13 'on the shackle-bow 13, said nose IIO - and the arms thereon project oppositely totent-block 15 to rock somewhat toward the .centers of the shafts-17, and obviously if the front wall 11.

'tion, which supports the detent-block free to Uponthe free end of each arm L a preferably periphery of the tumbler-wheels 18.

having a correspondinglyshapednotch e therein, into which the end 6 of the latch-bolt may be slid when the shackle-bow is closed, and thus secure the latter in closed condition.

The means for controlling the slidable movement of the latch-bolt 16 comprises the following details:

In the front wall 11 at ane ualdistance from the pivot-post 14 two per orations are respectively formed and two similar tumbler-shafts 17 are journaled therein, each shaft having a preferably cylindrical head 17 which heads have their peripheries roughened to facilitate a rotatable adjustment of said heads and the shafts they are-on. Each shaft 17 is of sufficient length toextend to. ward the back wall 10, but have a spacebetween the inner end of the shaft and saidzback wall. A mainly circular lock-set tumblerwheel 18 is fixedly mounted upon each shaft 17 and contacts with the flat inner surface of In the periphery of each: lock-set tumbler-Wheel 18 a plurality of detent teeth g are formed, these teeth being preferably sufficient in number to occupy about one-half of the contour of each wheel, and for effective service the teeth are slightly tapered toward their outer ends, producing, essentially Vshaped spaces g between them. The. post 14 is of reduced diameter where it is engaged by the four-armed detent-block 15, and the latter is seated-upon the annular shoulder 72;, formed on the post by said reducrock in a plane near to and parallel with the back plate or wall 10. On the portion of the post 14 that is between the shoulder h and inner surface of the front wall 11 a pair of resilient arms it are mounted by forming an integral open spring-coil 'i from the material composing the arms. Said coil that is at the center of length of the material clasps the post,

ward and over respective tumbler-wheels 18.

circular hammer-head i is mounted, these heads having enforced engagement with the On the inner end of each tumbler-shaft 17 an abutment-disk 19 is removably secured, preferably, by means of a spring-collar k, that engages the end of the shaft in a shallow groove therein, the disks being pressed forcibly against one side of a dished resilient washer 20, which presses upon the adjacent tumbler-wheel 18, as clearly shown in Fig. 7. The disks 19 of similar form each has amainly j circular periphery m, that is joined with a flat portionm thereon, and when the parts of the lock are assembled said flat portions of the peripheries of the disks 19 may be impinged upon by a straight edge of arespective arm 15 15, which will permit said arms of the deof the detent-armshave contact, the arm 15 8 from below and the arm 15 from above a respective disk. From the'rear sides of each of thedetent-arms 15 15 inthe open recesses n a tongue 72/ projects, these similar tongues having parallel sides extending across the arms, their height being such as to render their end surfaces about level with the rear sides of the thicker portions of the detentarms. I

Alocking-tumbler-wheel 2 1, equal in diame, ter with that of the abutment-disks 1 9, is pivotally supported on the back plate 10 of the case respectively opposite one ofv said disks, their thickness permitting said tumbler-wheels to work freely in the recesses n and have clearance edgewise'frorn the arms when the edges of the latter are pressed upon by the circular edge portion of eachabutment-disk 19, as is indicated in Fig. 2. Each locking tumblerwheel 21, as shown in Figs. 2, 5, and 7, consists of a flat circular plate of metal centrally pivoted, as at 0, upon the true inner surface of the back wall or plate 10 and having an arcuate slot 0 arranged concentrically with the pivot and circular edge thereof.

From each abutment-disk 19 a pin pis proj'ected 'rearwardly, which enters the slot 0 in a respective locking tumbler-wheel 21, and

.in the edge of eachof saidtumbler-wheels a radial slot 7" is formed in a portion of thesame that is-nearly opposite the arcuateslot 0 therein, and it will be seen that when the detent-arms 15 15 have clearance from the peripheral edge portions m on the abutmentdisks 19, or, in other words, engage the flat places m thereon, the tongues n, that normally ride upon the edges of the locking tumbler-wheels 21, when brought opposite the slots- 1" by aturning movement of these wheels may enter the slots r, and thus permit the armsl5 15to rock a proper degree to ward the tumbler-shafts 17 for release of the latch-bolt 16, aswill be hereinafter fully described. To' prevent the tumbler wheels .21 from too free a rotatable movement,

which would accidentally displace the slot 1" in either wheel in relation to other working parts, a finger-spring 2O isheld by one end on the back plate 10 and is in resilient engagement with'a. respective Wheel bearing: upon its periphery, as shown in Fig. 5..

A resilient plate-metal extension-arm 15 projectsfrom the end of the detent-arm 15 .toward and into engagement with" the lower edge portion of the latch-bolt 16, the extension-arm being adapted for transmitting motion from the arm 15 to the latch-bolt and causing the latch-bolt to slide toward or from the locking-nose 13 on the shackle-bow 13 in accord with the rocking movement of said detent-arm 15 A third shaft 22 is journaled in a perforation in the front wall 11 of the lock-case, having a cylindrical or other head 22 thereon for its manipulation, said shaft being positioned in the same vertical plane with the post 17 Upon the end portion of the shaft 22 i that is within the l0ckcase a collar 22 is secured, this flat circular collar having sufficient friction in contact with the inner side of the front wall 11 to prevent an accidental turning movement of the shaft. In the edge of the collar 22 a notch s is formed, and from the inner surface of the front wall 11 a stud 8 projects into the notch, the stud serving to limit the rocking movement of the shaft 22 when turned by a manipulation of its head 22 The shaft 22 on its inner end also carries a finger-bar 22, that projects over and toward the free end of the detent-arm 15, so that a rocking movement of the shaft in the direction of the arrow at will press the free end of the finger-bar upon the detent-arm 15 and rock it toward the abutment-disk 19.

There may be an ordinary throw-up spring 23 employed for automatically opening the shackle-bow 13, its location and operation being clearly shown in Figs. 2 and 3. In service, however, it is found that the spring 23 may be dispensed with, as when the bow is released from the latch-bolt 13 the weight of the lock will be sufficient to effect the opening of the shackle-bow or a slight pull will do so if the lock is supported in the hand while opening it.

In arranging the working details of the lock for service the tumbler-wheels 21 should be adjusted on the back plate 10, so as to adapt their slots 1 to receive the tongues n after the lock has been worked in accord with a predetermined rotatable movement of the shafts 17. Having selected the combinations that determine the turning movements of the shafts 17 to effect a corresponding movement of the abutment-disks 19 for opening the lock, this rotatable movement of each shaft 17, that is toward the right a predetermined degree for each shaft independently, will cause the pin p on the disk that is being adjusted to traverse a portion of the slot 0 it occupies, and after impingement on the end of said slot turn the locking tumbler-wheel 21 a proper extent for disposal of the radial slot 1" therein at a proper point for the reception of a corresponding tongue n.

It should be stated that the locking adjustment of the latch-bolt 16 may be quickly effected after the shackle-bow 13 has been closed by simply turning either or both of the shafts 17 in either direction sufhciently to cause the edges of the arms 15 15 to ride upon the circular edges m on the abutmentdisks 19 and at the same time cause the adj acent ends of the tongues n to contact with the peripheral edges of the locking tumblerwheels 21. This adjustment will simultaneously push the latch-bolt 16 into the notch in the shackle-bow nose 13, which is effected by the arm 15 and its extension 15 as is shown in Fig. 2.

For explanation of the operation that may be conducted for opening the look by means of manipulation in accord with a preselected combination it may be assumed that the releasing combination for the mechanism at the left of the lock in Figs. 2 and 3 is 7 4 and for the right side is 52. Now without regard to the relative positions assumed by working parts when locked the first step for unlocking the lock is commenced by turning the lefthand shaft 17 toward the right until the hammer-head t on an appropriate spring-arm i rides on the teeth 9, the turning operation being continued until there has been seven successive strokes of the hammer-head 7'? produced, which are indicated audibly and also by the sense of feeling the jar that results from the strokes of the hanuner-head on the tumbler-wheel 18. The rotation of the shaft operated upon is now reversed in direction, so that four teeth are passed in reversed order, which makes the combination 74L and disposes the slot 7' directly opposite the tongue n at the left side of the lock. In a like manner the right hand shaft 17 is turned toward the right until the hammerhead 'i on the remaining spring-arm t has successively engaged within five notches between the teeth on the lock-set tumbler- Wheel 18, carried by said shaft. The rotatable movement of the shaft 18 at the right is now reversed in direction, and two notches in the tumbler-wheel are successively engaged by the hammer-head i which will give the combination 52 for the right-hand lock-set tumbler-wheel and connected parts. It may here be explained that the formation of the hammer-heads i is an advantageous feature of the present improvement, as it has been found that the shape and added weight increases the sound of in'ipact had as these heads successively strike upon the tumblerwheels 18, and the jar is very sensibly felt, so that knowing the combinations a person can in the dark readily open the lock. The turn ing movements of the shafts 17 a predetermined degree for each one, as is indicated by the vibrations of the hammer-heads i will so relatively dispose the abutment-disks 19 and the locking tumbler wheels 2]. that the tongues n may be sii'nultaneously thrown into respective slots 7' by turning the shaft 22 and the arms 15 15 rocked into close engagement with the flat edge portions m on the abutment-disks, which will adapt the arm 15 and its extension member 15 to slide the bolt 16 away from the nose 13 of the shacklebow 13 when the shaft 22 is rocked so as to press the finger-bar 22 into engagement with the detent-arm 15, thus releasing the shackle- -bow for its opening movement.

It will be understood that the releasing operation depends upon the relative positions of the pins 1) in the arcuate slots 0, thus controlling the rotatable adjustment of the looking and releasing tumbler-wheels in unison with the turning movements of the shafts 17, as indicated on the teeth of the tumblerwheels 18, and it is to be understood that the exact combination for control of the rotatable movement of each tumbler-shaft 17 must be employed unless the combinations are changed, and said combinations must be manually produced in the order recited for the opening of the lock.

The provision of the locking and releasing tumbler-wheels 21 is a feature of this improvement and adds greatly to the security of the look, as for the proper setting of these wheels a reversed movement of the shafts 17 must be given thereto, and the employment of tongues on the detent-arms which enter slots in the tumbler-wheels for release of the latch-bolt is another detail of the invention. A feature shown in Patent bio-745,064 is employed also in this improvement for changing the combinations of the lock and consists of a set-screw 23, that screws through the edge wall 12 of the case at a point that disposes the set-screw opposite and near to the free end of the arm 15*. In effecting the change of combination the set-screw is forced against the end of said. arm and holds the detentblock 15 stationary. The shafts 17 or either one of them'may now be turned, so that the flat sides 'm on the abutment-disks 19 will be correspondingly turned. It will be seen that this will require the engagement of the ham mer-heads t with a different number of teeth for unlocking the lock. As there is no claim made for this detail in this case, a further description is not deemed necessary.

Having thus described my invention, 1; claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. A look embodying a case, a latch-bolt slidable in the case, a tumbler-shaft journaled in a side wall of the case, a tumblerwheel having teeth on part of its periphery and mounted to turn with the tumbler-shaft, a post in the case, an armed detent-block rockable on the post, a resilient extension on one arm of the detent-block engaging its projected end with the slide-bolt and normally projecting said bolt, a second shaft journaled in the same side wall of the case above the post, means mounted upon said shaft and engaging one arm of the detent-block fora partial rotation of said block, and a retraction of the slide-bolt by a turning movement of the second shaft, and a device carried by the post and having contact with the teeth onthe tumbler-wheel for indicating the degree of turning movement given to said tumblerwheel.

*2. A lock embodying a case, a latch-bolt slidable in the case for looking or release of the locking-nose on a rockable shackle-bow, two tumbler-shafts spaced apart and journaled in one side wall of the case, a tumblerwheel carried by each shaft and having teeth on a portion of the periphery thereof, a post central in the case, a four-armed detentblock'rockable on the post, a thin resilient extension on one arm of the detent-bl0ck engaging its projected end with the latch-bolt and normally projecting said bolt, a sounder device carried by the post comprising two spring-arms, and a cylindrical hammer-head on the free end of each arm seating upon the periphery of a respective tumbler-wheel, a rotatable shaft journaled in the same side wall of the case above the post, a finger-bar on the inner end of said shaft and engaging one arm of the detent-block for a partial rotation of said block, and a retraction of the slide-bolt by a turning-movement of the shaft having said bar thereon.

3. A look embodying a case, a post central in the case, a tumbler-shaft rotatable in one side wall of the case, a spring-pressed tumblerwhee1 on the shaft and turning with it, an abutment-disk fixed onthe tumbler-shaft and having its mainly circular periphery flattened at one point, a detent-block rockable on the post, one arm of said block engaging the periphery of the abutment-disk, said arm having a recessed rear side anda tongue projectedfrom said side, and a locking and releasing tumbler-wheel pivoted on the adjacent side wall of the case, said tumbler wheel having an arcuate slot therein receiving a pin that projects from the near side of the abutment disk and also having a radial slot wherein the tongue on the detent-arm may engage.

4. In a lock of the character described, the combination with a case, a tumbler-shaft journaled in the case, a toothed tumblerwheel mounted on the shaft, meansfor engaging the toothed tumbler-wheel to indicate the degree of turning movement given to said wheel, a flat-edged abutment-disk secured on the inner end of the shaft, a detent-block having a plurality of arms, one of said arms having a tongue thereon, a locking and releasing tumbler-wheel pivoted on a side wall of the case adjacent to and opposite the abutment-disk, said wheel having an arcuate slot concentric with its pivot, a pin projected from the abutment-disk into said slot, said locking and releasing disk also having a radial slot that cuts through its'perip'hery opposite from the arcuate slot, the tongue on the detent-arm engaging within said slot l over the tumbler-Wheel and having an intewhen the detent-arm carrying said tongue l gral open spring-coil clasping the said post, impinges on the flattened edge portion of the and a circular weighty hammer-head on the periphery of the locking and releasing tumfree end of said arm adapted to ride upon the bler-wheel. teeth and fall into the notches successively 5. In a lock of the character described, the when the wheel is turned. device for indicating a numerical combina- In testimony whereof I have signed my tion for opening the lock, comprising as de name to this specification in the presence of tails a tumbler-shaft held to rotate Within two subscribing witnesses.

the case of the lock a tumbler-wheel on the y r shaft having a circular periphery and a plu- OSQ'AR' IXATZENBERGER' i spaced apart by V-shaped notches, a post I rality of teeth forming part of said periphery Witnesses:

JAMES MoCLosKEY, carried by the case, a spring-arm extending J. P. LONG. 

